A 10-minute Linux security check
Set your system up a while ago? This quick check confirms the important protections are still in place. It takes about ten minutes and needs no deep technical knowledge.
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1. Updates (2 minutes)
Open your updates tool (Software & Updates on Ubuntu, Software on Fedora) and install anything waiting. Then turn on automatic security updates so you stay current. Prefer the terminal? Run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade on Ubuntu or Debian, or sudo dnf upgrade on Fedora.
2. Firewall (2 minutes)
Check the firewall is on. On Ubuntu, run sudo ufw status; if it says inactive, turn it on with sudo ufw enable. On Fedora, run sudo firewall-cmd --state. If your system uses a different tool, its own guide in this section covers it.
3. Your account (2 minutes)
Confirm you log in as a standard user for everyday work, not as root. Check your login password is strong and not reused anywhere else. If you're not sure how your account is set up, the standard-user guide walks you through it.
4. Screen lock (1 minute)
In your settings under Privacy or Screen, set the screen to lock automatically after a few minutes, and confirm it asks for your password to unlock. This is a small change that protects you every time you walk away.
5. Software sources (3 minutes)
Have a quick look at what you've installed from outside your distribution's official repositories. If you added extra software sources you no longer use, remove them. Sticking to trusted sources is the single biggest thing that keeps malware off a Linux desktop.
If anything was off
Don't worry, just set it now. Each of these has its own short guide in this section if you want the detail. A few minutes here is the difference between a system that protects itself and one that leaves the gaps open.
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